Earlier this year I discovered For The Wolves and I immediately fell in love with their sound. From the moment I heard the first few notes of one of their older tracks Fading; which is from their previous self-titled EP I knew I was hooked. There is just something about these guys that draws you in from that very first moment. They play with passion, power and an energy that is like magic to my music loving heart. For The Wolves create music that is felt as well as heard. After releasing their self titled debut EP in 2017, For The Wolves new 4 track EP ‘Karma’ was released in October this year. Their latest offering is simply perfection from start to finish. It is self produced and was mixed by Chicago based engineer Daniel Salcido of Command Space Audio.

For The Wolves are based in Brisbane and are a perfect example of alternative hard rock at its absolute best. They have a sound that is like some kind of splendid mix of Paul Dempsey blended with some Cog, Mastodon and a little Tool thrown in as well. Originally formed in 2014 by vocalist and guitarist Brad Andrew and drummer Anthony Molyneux, they then added mutual friends Liam Thompson on bass and Alex Thompson on guitars and synths in 2016 to complete the band and create the sound that is now what we know and love as For The Wolves.

The EP opens with the title track Karma, beginning with an almost haunting, echoing sound and soon enough hitting you with hard drum beats and catchy riffs played with that passion and drive that makes me love these guys so much. From the very beginning, it’s clear this is an album that is best played at full volume. Even though For The Wolves have a new modern sound they also have an almost a timeless sound about them, like they could have been doing this 20 years ago or even 20 years from now and they would still sound as fresh and great as they do in this moment.

Track two Call Of The Wild whilst still hard hitting has a slightly more mellow feel to it than the previous track. This is where I hear little bits of Paul Dempsey when he does some of his heavier stuff. Dempsey has the most sexy and flawless vocal and For The Wolves vocalist/guitarist, Brad is up there too. The lyrics in this track seem raw and heartfelt; making me feel a heart wrenching energy that perhaps was felt upon writing and recording this track.

Track three The Mist starts off with a deep heartbeat of a bass line that sucks you into a moment of feeling that you can’t escape from until the track is finished. But then once it’s done, you just want to begin it all over again. Track four Verses is the longest tack on the EP, going for over 7 minutes, this one definitely reminds me of a Cog track. It is lengthy and deep and once again showcases the passion, drive and talent of the band. The drums and heavy bass line in this track create a vibration that you can feel in your heart; I absolutely love it when a song does that.

Listening to ‘Karma’ has just got me itching for more and hanging to see For The Wolves play live. If they sound this good and draw me in so hard via a recording, I can just imagine what a live performance will be like. Fortunately the guys are hitting the Jubilee Hotel in Brisbane on November 17th as part of the line up for Rock For Rain, a fundraising gig to raise money for farmers in crisis through Drought Angels so I will get to see them in their full glory very soon! If you love hard rock and want to feel some music as well as hear it, I highly recommend you get yourself a copy of ‘Karma’ and make sure you play it loud!

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